Today we had the pleasure of interviewing Jonathan Chen, Head of Operations at Creaticles, the world’s first NFT Requests Marketplace.
Hi Jonathan, tell us a little bit about Creaticles.
Creaticles is the world’s first custom NFT marketplace, enabling anyone to source custom NFTs through our ‘Creaticles contests’ format. Our platform deploys a Request for Proposal (RFP) model, in which users submit an NFT concept to our roster of artists. This gives the artists the chance to put forth their design concepts, and once the winning design has been selected, the artist is then remunerated in Ethereum.
Soon we will be adding CRE8 – our native utility token – as a payment method on our platform. All NFTs purchased on our platform will be transferable to all secondary marketplaces, meaning artists can compound their earnings from re-sales of their art. We want to help artists showcase and monetize their talents through this exciting new medium while making NFTs a key pillar of the Creator Economy.
What inspired you to launch Creaticles?
I and my co-founder Trevor Keith, who serves as our CTO, have always had a keen eye on evolving market trends, particularly as it pertains to the rapidly expanding NFT space. We noticed a pronounced gap in the market concerning customisable NFTs and the need for a trusted marketplace matching users with verified artists. Platforms like Paintyourlife.com have been enabling people to commission artists to create bespoke paintings of cherished moments, life milestones, and offer them as gifts.
Why not do the same in NFT form? Additionally, there has been a major spike in demand for high-quality NFT art from crypto projects keen to enhance their community engagement. To date, we’ve successfully carried out NFT competitions for the likes of Axie Infinity, Harmony, MakerDAO, Polygon, Mask Network, and Pangolin. We also announced a strategic partnership with Esports platform FirstBlood to facilitate NFT rewards for Esports tournaments.
What do you think is needed to drive mainstream adoption of NFTs?
I believe we’re just at the tip of the iceberg in terms of mass adoption, and while the term NFT has become embedded in mainstream vernacular, there’s a long way to go until the letters NFT are deeply understood by the masses. Think about your friend group and extended family. What percentage of them have acquired NFTs, or have a Metamask wallet for example? Sure, they’ve seen the headlines regarding images of bored apes fetching jaw-dropping prices, but do they have the know-how to stake their claim in the digital zoo?
Research suggests that a whopping 96% of Americans don’t fully understand the fundamentals of NFTs, crypto, and DeFi, so imagine the vibrancy of the space when this comprehension chasm has been bridged. So if you’re trying to educate your friends about NFTs, I think providing them as gifts is a great first step. Create digital art that means something to them, whether that’s a design depicting their home, family, favourite pastime. Once they appreciate the intrinsic value of the NFT, they’ll be encouraged to pursue the space with greater levels of confidence.
What major milestones are on the Creaticles roadmap for 2022?
This year began with a bang, as we announced signature additions to our Advisory Board, Joe Zhou – Co-Founder and CEO of FirstBlood; Jeff Jiho Zirlin, Co-Founder of Axie Infinity; Sébastien Borget, COO and Co-founder of Sandbox; Juergen Hoebarth, a seasoned blockchain consultant and Founder of NFT.Art; and Kenny Li – MIT Sloan graduate and cofounder of Manta Network.
This incredible industry firepower will help us execute a comprehensive growth strategy throughout 2022, which will include our multi-chain expansion, and further listings for our native utility token CRE8, which has already been listed on Sushiswap, Gate.io and MEXC. We will also be formalizing a number of strategic partnerships that will take our value proposition to the next level. Watch this space.
